Asian openbill stork Anastomus oscitans as a predator of the invasive alien gastropod Pomacea canaliculata in Thailand

Abstract

The freshwater golden apple snail Pomacea canaliculata, native to South and Central America, and the West Indies, is now a major agricultural pest in Thailand paddy fields. There is anecdotal evidence that the Asian openbill Anastomus oscitans consumes these snails, but no reports on its predation efficiency. Our study showed that the number of storks visiting the fields correlated with a decrease in snail abundance (rs= 0.902, p= 0.0001). Storks are tactile predators and preferred adult snails. This is probably more profitable for the birds, but keeps the P. canaliculata population ‘sustainable’.